History made: Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 passes through Pittston Township

PITTSTON — History was made this weekend when the largest operating steam locomotive passed through Northeast Pennsylvania for the first time as part of a coast-to-coast tour in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.

On Sunday, hundreds gathered at the Oak Street rail crossing in Pittston Township to catch a passing glimpse of Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014, traveling side by side with the Reading & Northern 2102, as it made its way to Pittston Yard.

People crowded on both sides of the tracks, some in lawn chairs, awaiting the train’s arrival for about three hours. Some onlookers set up tripods to capture the event, while others placed pennies along the tracks so the copper would be flattened and smoothed by the train.

Marlene Arnold, 70, who lives over an hour away in Easton, came down to see Big Boy 4014 because of her grandson, who is a huge fan of the famed locomotive.

“He has been tracking it across the country,” she said. “He’s taken trips to see it as many times as he could.”

Although her grandson was in Scranton on Sunday, awaiting the train’s arrival from Pittston, she was happy to experience something that gives him so much joy.

“It’s nice to be a part of his world for a little bit,” she said.

Arnold never expected the locomotive to pass by so close to her home, let alone have a front-row seat to the event.

“It’s been beyond my wildest dreams so far,” she said.

According to Union Pacific, Big Boy 4014 was one of 25 commissioned in 1941 exclusively for the railroad company.

According to the National Parks Service, which oversees the Steamtown National Historic Site, where another Big Boy, No. 4012, has been on exhibit since 2021, the ‘Big Boys,’ once seen as a high point of locomotive technology, “became obsolete as more efficient, reliable, and cost-effective diesel-electric locomotive technology was refined during the 1950s.”

No. 4014 was eventually retired in 1961, after traveling 1,031,205 miles. Of the eight Big Boys in existence today, it is the only one still in operation.

Lee Ann Wesolowski, 56, of Larksville, came to see the train along with her husband, Mark. They were on their way to Walmart when they saw the crowd and decided to stop.

“To see something like this is really exciting. We’ve been here for a while just waiting,” she said.

Bill Pfeffer, of Bear Creek, was also waiting. He sat on the grassy lawn beside the train tracks with his 3-year-old daughter, Cecilia.

For him, deciding to come and see Big Boy No. 4014 was a no-brainer.

“We had to do it,” he said. ”It’s a once-in-a-lifetime sight.”

Following its stop at Pittston Yard on Sunday, the locomotive headed to Scranton, where it will stay until June 30 for servicing.

According to previous Times Leader reporting, the public can see the locomotive at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton during a public display on June 15 and 16.

Viewing tickets are required through the National Park Service. Information is available at nps.gov.

For details on the remainder of Big Boy No. 4014’s coast-to-coast tour, visit up.com.

Local journalism matters, and your support makes it possible. You can help sustain this work by making a donation or choosing one of our subscription options. Subscribers enjoy valuable benefits, including full access to our e-edition, a reduced ad experience on timesleader.com, and more.

Your support helps ensure independent, high-quality local news remains available today and for future generations. Thank you for standing with local journalism.

Click for subscription offers.